Monday, January 29, 2007

You know how you can get all caught up in the fiddly little details of life, or work yourself into a tizzy over groundless unknown things, and lose track of the big picture, and then all of a sudden something reminds you in a heartbeat of what's truly important? I love when that happens.

Thanks to a tip from alert reader Haley, I refreshed my long-dormant subscription to the BBC Film Café podcast to hear what Akshaye had to say for himself. And in all honesty, I was smitten all over again. Sensible, calm, confident but grounded and assuming, neither evasive nor exhibitionist. He actually said very little, but he said it so beautifully. Usually I am not a fan of saying very little, but there was something about how he spoke that struck me as so honest and uncomplicated - someone asked him some questions, and he responded, without compromising anyone else in his answers. And oh my stars, the man has a lovely speaking voice. And - how shall I say this without sounding like some sort of deranged memsahib fetishist? - the combination of that silky warm accent and gentle voice and flawless English* is Fish Called Wanda and then some.

Damn.

* Yes, of course I know millions of people in India have flawless English, but please remember that I have never heard him use his before. Also, when you know people from their work in movies that mostly use Hindi, but you have to rely on subtitles, it's easy to get the impression that in fact no one in India has a firm grasp of English. It's a very unfair impression, and not one anyone with half a brain would ever hold when they stop to think about it, but when the shiny pictures go flying along with the ridiculous text, that's what happens. And anyway, very few people speak flawlessly in interviews. Or in blogs, for that matter.

5
comments:

Anonymous
said...

Hindi is India's national language.So its quite understandable that bollywood films are mostly in Hindi.But English films are also being made nowdays here.'Black', you'd recollect, was mostly in English.There was wonderful English movie called 'Being Cyrus' last year and just this week another movie called 'Parzania' (I'd recommend you to watch this ) has released.

Im sure we'll have more of English films in the coming years as literacy levels in India continue to rise.

anonymous - yes, of course. I never meant that one of India's film industries should not be in Hindi, nor that English is a better language for films (Indian or otherwise), nor that English is not currently used in Indian movies. I just meant that most of the Indian movies I watch are in Hindi - which is one of their appeals - and that the English subtitles on said films are often poorly written.

I've never really heard Askhaye speak in English for long periods of time before. I'm sure he speaks well, most of the Bollywood actors do in fact. Have you ever seen the show "Koffee with Karan," its a talk show with Bollywood actors and they speak all in English. Its quite fun esp. the episode with Sharukh and Kajol, such a blast. Hopefully, Askhaye will join Karan on the couch for some coffee in his new season which starts soon I think. If you havn't seen it, here's a link to some episodes on youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nN4qO2itpxk! Happy Blogging!

Hi Beth Just came across your blog as a link from Kamala Bhatt's wonderful blog. When I read that you were an Akshaye Kumar fan I just had to write. He is my favorite Hindi actor, love his sense of fun, and I think he is just too cute!! And this from someone who is probably old enough to be his mother! But, Hey, who said we can't live on fantasy!

my other filmi projects

Bong Along - a blog on vintage Bengali movies co-written by Indie Quill and me (and perhaps a few very friendly appearances by other friends as well).

Masala Zindabad - the podcast by Indie Quill and me, often featuring other writers and fans as guests. Masala Zindabad is an affectionate and thoughtful look at the broad range of themes that define Bollywood and make Bollywood defy definition. Available at iTunes.

Mysterious Order of the Skeleton Suit - the Agents of M.O.S.S. are a shadowy confederation of like-minded writers, broadcasters, creators, and jetsetters who have banded together in a bold mission to bring international intrigue and pop entertainment to the masses. Can anyone stand in the way of their diabolical schemes?

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Text (c) 2005–2014, Beth Watkins. The ideas and opinions expressed in this site are mine alone unless otherwise attributed. They do not necessarily represent the views of my employer or of any other organization or website with which I may be associated.